5 Key Elements of An Effective Public Relations Plan

by Infinity Concepts | Jan 16, 2020 | Public Relations

A strong Public Relations Plan is an important Public Relations strategy. Think of it as a road map for your organization’s PR program and campaigns. An effective PR plan will help your organization to target a specific audience, set specific goals and objectives, and evaluate your PR program’s success.

Here are the 5 key elements of an effective PR plan:

Research
Core Objectives
Implementation
Evaluation
Investment

Research

The most important element of any successful PR plan is to know your target audience. The time taken initially to best understand the people you are trying to reach will save your organization time and money in the long run. The more you understand who your audience is, the more effectively you can tailor your campaigns to their specific language, wants, and needs.

Core Objectives

Every effective PR plan needs at least one clear, tangible objective. What is it that you want to achieve? How will you measure success?

An easy way to know if you are on the right track in choosing the right goals and objectives for your organization is to create S.M.A.R.T. objectives. Commonly known in the industry, S.M.A.R.T. stands for the following:

Specific – is it clearly defined?
Measurable – how will you gauge performance?
Attainable – is it a reasonable goal?
Relevant – how realistic is it?
Timely – are there clear deadlines for results?

Be sure to ask yourself if each of the objectives in your PR plan meet the S.M.A.R.T. criteria for a winning strategy.

Implementation

It is important to have an idea of how you will implement the tactics, strategies, and objectives of your PR plan. What steps do you need to take first? How will you best reach and engage your audience? What is your overall strategy for success?

Evaluation

Take the time to decide how and when you will evaluate the effectiveness of your PR plan. Evaluations should be done regularly to ensure that your plan stays on track and so that changes can be made, if needed. We suggest taking the time to do this more than just once a year. Quarterly evaluations are best as they can help to track audience trends and campaign effectiveness during different seasons. Ultimately, you need to decide on an evaluation schedule that best fits your organization’s needs.

Investment

Your PR plan will need to include clearly defined resources. Know the investment needed ahead of time for all aspects of the plan so that you best understand what you can and cannot accomplish. What is the budget? How will it be allocated throughout various campaigns? Is there flexibility for the unexpected?

Take the time to cultivate an effective PR plan for your organization. The time and effort you put in will only help you to better understand your target audience and help take steps toward overall success.

Interested in Public Relations strategy or consultation to help protect your brand? Infinity Concepts is here to help.
CLICK HERE or call us today at 724-733-1200.